Parsha Veyera — What are you running to do?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGnQti3RkuE
וימהר אברהם האהלה אל־שרה ויאמר מהרי שלש סאים קמח סלת לושי ועשי עגות׃
ואל־הבקר רץ אברהם ויקח בן־בקר רך וטוב ויתן אל־הנער וימהר לעשות אתו׃
Abraham hurried
The story started with Abraham hurried. There is a repetition of the word hurried (3 times) and running.
What was Abraham running to do?
What are we running to do in our lives?
The simple answer Abraham was running to ask for help (his wife) to prepare food for three strangers. He did not just prepare a simple meal but went to great lengths to prepare a gourmet meal.
This simple story is the bedrock of our Faith — Do kindness (Chesed) to another person — whether it be a stranger or for somebody in need. These stories of Abraham are the basis of Tikkun Olam and Impact.
I had the merit to give a to lift to some close talmidim of Reb Shlomo to the Yahrzeit event at his grave. Both are Academics — experts in Hassidism and more. They were students of the genius of the depth of Reb Shlomo Torah and teachings. The one a lady is writing a Doctorate in Hashkafa of Reb Shlomo Teachings.
They were debating was Reb Shlomo's outlook — Universalism or Particularism?
While the discussion was beyond me, I think this is an important discussion in the light of the impact of Avraham and what defines our Judaism today?
To learn some more — I reached out to google.
“Universalism vs. Particularism Universalism is the belief that ideas and practices can be applied everywhere without modification, while particularism is the belief that circumstances dictate how ideas and practices should be applied.”
In an article on https://www.jewishhistory.org/the-end-of-the-beginning/
“In today’s Jewish world, for instance, there are people who are very interested in what they call Tikkun Olam, which means to fix the world. This is a universalistic concept. However, those who profess interest in Tikkun Olam are typically not very interested in Judaism, the Jewish people, or the Jewish state. Their universalism precludes particularism.
Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach used to reach out to Jewish youth on college campuses. He related that when someone would come up to him and say he was a Roman Catholic he would believe him. When someone would say he was a Protestant he would believe him. When someone would say that he was a Muslim he would believe him. When someone would come to him and say, “I’m a human being,” then Rabbi Carlebach knew that he was a Jew. This is typical of the contemporary Jew accessing his universalistic instinct while eschewing his Jewish identity and his peoples’ dreams.
On the other hand, there are people who are very particular about their Judaism. Therefore, they do not look outside of their own society or even their own neighborhood. They have no concept of how to deal with a world that is overwhelmingly not Jewish. They also have taken only part of the message of Judaism.
To be a Jew, one has to have a universal outlook — to see the whole world and be responsible for it as well — while at the same time be particular, i.e. possess a fidelity to the special set of rules, the 613 commandments, special observances, special loyalties and special holy days that are particular to Jews”
This, I believe is the central message of our faith and the simple messages of the stories of Avraham.
However, in a Times of Israel blog, Daniel Raphael Silverstein writes
“The central question dividing our people today is the tension between particularism and universalism.”
https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/the-three-weeks-part-iii-lessons-for-today/
We see this in the exclusivity of Hassidim, Haredim, and Fundamentalism and their intolerance of Pluralistic views that differ from their outlook. The majority of Jews outside of Israel ascribe to Tikkun Olam's view to the detriment of their Jewish past and this results in Jews being Anti-Zionist and let us say anti their own faith. It is a sad fact that the majority of Jews especially in America are disconnected from Judaism and we know of the high rate of assimilation and out marriage.
The arguments of Universalism or Particularism is very an issue in Israeli society and Politics today.
So, get a bit a clearer answer, I went to google to find a blog I posted
“If we had two hearts like we have two arms and two legs, then one heart could be used for love and the other one for hate. Since I have but one heart, then I don’t have the luxury of hating anyone.” — Reb Shlomo Carlebach.
So, these students were debating this, and especially in the light of Shlomo’s trips to Poland. Both are children of survivors. They discussed that when Shlomo was in the Yeshiva world — his world was closed and very particularistic and through the influence of his connection to the two Chabad Rebbes started his complicated path to Universalism (with a strong connection to Judaism, Israel, and Jerusalem).
“In the concert hall in Bielsko Biala, Poland, January 1989, Reb Shlomo asked how can we “repair the hate of the past?” His answer: “Only by filling ourselves with absolute and complete love and joy.” He taught a song: “Let the whole world get together again. Let the whole world be filled with joy again. Let the salvation of the world grow every second”.
Reb Shlomo responded to the Holocaust by stressing how every individual can become God’s partner in fixing the world and replace anger with love and joy: “After the Holocaust, it’s so easy to be angry at the world, and it’s so easy to condemn the world. But we have to continue to love the world. The most important thing today every person has to do is to cleanse their hearts from anger and fill the heart with a lot of joy”.
In conclusion, what started out as a simple story led to a complex debate and tension that we all encounter in our lives, in politics, in the media, and in our relationship with ourselves, others, and the wider world.
So, let's ask again
What are we running to do in our lives?
Additional Reading:
https://www.kikar.co.il/403595.html
This article in Hebrew traces how Reb Shlomo’s Legacy is influencing the Yeshiva World.